Deviation
by Aiko Isari
Summary: - Xros Wars Hunters AU. The first war is over and a boy wants answers… and finding the courage to get them leads the way to a whole new adventure, people and questions included. A few changes are ripples in the pond... that make waves with the strength of earthquakes.
1. Prologue

**Author's Note: **Today is the day! Yes that is the full title that I'm not putting up for reasons. I almost put it up yesterday but my brain was smart and decided against it. Good thing too, since I have something important that I need to start that is rather disturbing

Well this is my attempt at altering it only with elements of the canon and some issues of fanon, as well as, of course, the crossover. So yeah, if you've been reading _Mutual Benefit_, any of the _Calamity_ oneshots, or _anything _else I have written or will write, particularly something coming in March that someone I know is salivating over; it's not the same. That also goes for the other stories that will pop up eventually They're weird like that. So if you prefer the superpower, overly shounen goodness, you may want to bypass this one. It's not as emphasized. I'm kind of wishing the Slice of Life genre existed on here but eh. Work with what you've got.

Also… for that guy, yes Sgt Shock, I mean _you_, I know you like my severe lack of thirty thousand chapters. However, I don't know the set length of this, but I have the suspicion of more than thirty chapters, possibly more than fifty. Please bear with me.

_**WARNING**_: This is anime style. Therefore, these chapters are the equivalent of at least 1-3 chapters if this was in WSJ (_Weekly Shonen Jump) _or _one _anime episode. That means at some point, as I improve, there will be drawings of various scenes and characters. That includes the cover, which will be replaced at some point. That also means by extension that these will seem very weird and anime physics related.

Don't worry by the way: Other people can submit art, side-fics, and other items of general awesome. The forum is still open for debate too! :)

Finally, because I want to see people's opinions: who likes Lopmon? What's your favorite level for it to evolve into? That means _any_ level.

With that, I leave with you the prologue. Enjoy, leave a remark, and please inform me of where I went wrong, particularly this prologue as for some reason my first chapters of stories are NEVER betaed lol.

* * *

_Deviation-The Ripples of a Butterfly's Wings_

_**Prologue: A Brave New World**_

_(If only I could be that way…)_

"Throw away your Xros Loader or I'll kill the both of them!"

It was a cliché line, the pretend ultimatum in every villain hostage situation known to movies and man. To the boy hidden behind a building, however, it was horrifying. It was spoken by the samurai, now about the size of a skyscraper, to another male and the creature beside him. They weren't frightened, only angry. The human below clutched a red device in his hand tightly; presumably the Xros Loader that creature had been talking about as the other struggled to his feet.

The boy watched in fear, not understanding the creature's desperation to have the device. If he wanted, couldn't he just destroy them? Or was it… was there some special power within it? He didn't know, the fear had paralyzed his brain. The dragon creature glowered up, defiance in his eyes. "You bastard…" The boy couldn't help but agree with him. It was a low tactic… and it never really worked.

"Hurry up," the creature insisted and he felt his chest tighten. Why? So he could continue crushing their city like a toy? So he could bring _more _of those like him to destroy the world? _Don't give it to him, _he prayed desperately to the currently unnamed boy with the goggles. _Don't let him get us all…_ He knew it was cowardly not to run forward and attack the guy himself but what… could he do exactly?

Apparently the other two shared his sentiments, or at least his prayers. "Don't listen to him Taiki!" The redhead who spoke struggled in the soldier's grip as her friend clutched something in his hand, raising a defiant fist.

"That's right!" he agreed, eyes flaring with determination. "Fight Kudo Taiki!" He commanded the boy and the dragon with the ferocity of a drill sergeant, refusing to let his spirits fall. "We're a part of Xros Heart too, so we can handle it!"

_A part of… Xros Heart…_ The boy found his eyes glued to the battle yet on the inside he shrank away from them. These people were brave. They were willing to die for this, for Xros Heart, for Kudo Taiki… the goggled boy. He let his gaze travel over that person, his heart squeezing at the sight of the raw dismay on that face. Then inexplicably, he felt his tension ease. With that one look, the boy knew where that resolve came from. Taiki, whoever he was, was genuine, every bit of concern as natural as breathing. They believed he could do something, and would. Envy bubbled in his chest. To be a part of something… something that you were willing to risk everything for… what was that like?

He was broken from his thoughts by a sudden shining light, the two hostages beginning to glow orange and blue. "What is this? It burns!" The large man sounded _surprised _now_, _almost _frightened _as the glow set the two down on the ground and poured into Taiki's… Xros Loader. The words were stiff in his head, like a bump on his tongue.

_Resolve burns stronger than fire, _the boy thought to himself as the red dragon began to shine; enshrouded in the golden sheen. It let out a frenzied cry, searing itself into his brain. Taiki raised his Xros Loader to the air. "Shoutmon," he commanded. "Evolve!" The responding roar sent a shudder into the hidden boy's heart. That wordless feral shout seemed to say: _"Don't worry, I'll kick his ass." _He found himself believing it.

"OmegaShoutmon!"

A golden mechanical dragon landed on the road. There was no mark where he stood around his metallic body was a colorless aura of majesty. Blue eyes glowered at the much larger creature. The soldier's voice didn't quaver but now the fear was palpable, filled with disbelief. _Mom said… _the boy thought soberly. _A warrior is only able to die when his heart wavers. If his heart wavers, people will forget him. If his body gives out and his heart remains, he lives. _

"He's going to lose…" the young boy whispered as the two former hostages went past his hiding place. He knew this yet his heart didn't swell with joy. One turned in his direction and he tried to step away. Oh darn it…

He had been too late and the girl's eyes met his, his fearful and hers calm albeit surprised. "Are…" he whispered, the panic instantly rising. It wasn't because she was a girl, a slightly older and more mature one no less; but because she was a person and he was just… he was just _not good_ at this. _Even my brain can only think of lame excuses. _ "A-Are you o-okay?" He quickly separated their gazes, looking past her as his body began to tremble. "I… I just…" He tried again and then his mouth snapped shut, embarrassed.

She examined him slowly and then smiled, as though she understood the depths of his terror. "Yeah," she told him proudly. "I am. And you're gonna be too. So when this is over, join us, okay?"

Before he could answer, she hurried away towards Taiki and the golden power. They all watched together as OmegaShoutmon and that man clashed, speaking of things he just couldn't hear over the roar of battle and the thumping of his own heart.

"BEAT SLASH!" This time the boy covered his eyes, the golden sheen of a large diamond of light meeting a violet blade of darkness. He peeked through his fingers to see a large hole in the creature's chest. It was fading, falling into the sky and soon, had completely vanished. As the storm began to fade, the demon man roared, leaving his speech to recover itself from sheer gibberish. The sky was suddenly a gentle, vivid blue once more, making the world seem as though nothing had happened.

"A-Amazing…" he finally whispered, the thrill in his chest fading into slow, gentle thrums. The golden giant then shrank and fell into the water, making a humorous splash.

Despite himself, he laughed. For the moment, it was over and everything was all right. He slumped against the wall he had been hiding behind, trembling with relief and feeling helpless tears slide from his eyes. He wasn't going to die. It was okay, it was all right.

Of course that was for about five minutes. Then the sky turned a heartless black and a _hand _reached down from the clouds, pressing skeletal fingers around the bridge, the bridge that connected them to another ward. The fact that it was a giant hand took a few seconds, almost too many, to process in his head. A violet energy wave pulsed from it and spread. Wherever that wave flowed, even on the water, the life forms turned to stone.

Naturally, the child bolted, desperately fleeing. _If that thing hits… it's over isn't it? _The panic spurred his legs ever onward, the survival instinct blurring his vision into grey and purple. _Where is safe? Where?_

_Nowhere, _whispered a voice in his mind. _This is it, this is the end. You'll die here, alone, like the coward you are._

_I… I don't want to die… not like this…_

"_So when this is over, join us, okay?" _

_I want to… I want to do that… _Even from only a few minutes of observation, he wanted to be engulfed in it. He wanted… to get stronger… and not feel lonely on sunny days. It was one thing to make a friend; it was quite another to make a companion.

The boy tripped and skidded on the brick road. He forced himself up again, not realizing he was bleeding from the arm, not caring that his head was throbbing and that his fellow citizens were frozen in places of terror. All the boy cared about was getting out of there, getting his wish granted. He wanted to _live. _

_Is that what you desire?_

It was a voice, a voice in his head. It sounded like many ageless and genderless voices spinning to form these sounds of white noise. Yet he knew them somehow. The song, yes that was it a song, seemed to sigh. _Do you desire to join those warriors? It takes courage and faith and to maintain an earnestness of the soul. Do you think you are able to do that?_

He almost halted right then and there as the questions whirled in his mind. It felt as though time were stopping all around him, even as the wave roared and screams were silenced. The boy hesitated for a brief moment before nodding, almost to himself. The song hummed distantly. _You wish to try… then come. Follow the light. _A pale sheen erupted from the ground only feet away and he changed direction, jumping in as the wave washed over the land.

The sensation from that was like jumping from stairs. He opened his eyes to a golden space, a strange energy surrounding him where his feet rested. A screen floated in front of his eyes and without speaking, he knew what he would see would be either a new beginning or the world's last moments. He couldn't help but pray again because he feared what could appear next.

In a flash of light, children, three who he recognized, three he did not, appeared in a line. Two of the ones he recognized were holding up a blonde his own age, who seemed not only exhausted but hurt. The boy wondered… but then the war began… with words and monsters and a cold-blooded army led by a demonic man. That very man… monster, there was no denying it wasn't human, for more than just the skeletal hand. It was the smirk on his face, the twisted army marching on stone water. It was the crimson eyes which he swore could see him where he was. It didn't matter how safe this space was from the petrification. If they lost… nowhere was safe.

_No, _he thought angrily to himself, nodding as firmly as he dared. _No don't think like that. If my wish… If I want to grant my wish I have to have faith. They'll win…_

A voice floated into the space. _"We'll place our hopes on you Taiki, just like we always have."_

_Yes… I'll do that… I'll believe in you too… Kudo-san…_

As he thought these words a golden bullet shot straight into the opposing demon man's chest. There was no harm done but Taiki and that girl had gone missing. "That's… really reckless…" He couldn't help but say this aloud, almost sweatdropping at what he saw as utter insanity.

"Taiki's like that." The rough cheeriness of the voice made him jump and almost try to look around yet his body remained stationary. "Woah woah, sorry dude! Didn't think you'd jump that bad!"

"You…" He struggled to find his voice. "You, um… surprised me, whoever you are."

The voice laughed. "You sure freaked _me _out. Humans usually aren't here you know?"

"No um… no I don't," the boy admitted and the voice seemed forlorn. He could almost sense its sigh, feel the pitying eyes. It rather bothered him, but this time, the human felt he deserved it.

"Man kid you must be ten kinds of freaked out huh?" Before he could answer, the other continued, moving from sympathetic to encouraging. "Well, don't worry. Taiki's gonna get me and the others out of here and then you'll see something great! After that, I'll let you meet Taiki. I tell ya, there's not a guy like him. You'll be just fine with him. Trust me."

_Trust me. _It was the first time he had heard those words spoken so earnestly. The boy could only stare, at a loss, before smiling a little, a shy, tiny smile. "I… I can't wait."

He could envision a grin, fanged yet friendly. "Hehe, I think you're gonna be just fine. Well, I gotta go, time for being badass and all that. Nice talking at ya man." The air went quiet and the boy managed a shy laugh.

"Be careful…" _But can you be careful in fighting through _that?

The screen flickered and blue flame went tearing through both armies, an existence made for destruction. "That thing…" he murmured, wishing he could do more than recoil at the sight of thousands of creatures burning to death. It was disgusting, even from far away. He could hear them screaming and the boy wished his voice could shut them out. "He wants his own world, a world with his own reality. What do we want… do we want this world? Or do we want the same thing?"

_That is an answer you will have to come to by yourself. _

His gaze slipped upward as the flaming tornado was dispersed and a golden bullet shot from the creature's chest again, revealing Taiki, that creature, and his friend, along with a pink rabbit he hadn't noticed before. Something… whatever they had been waiting for… whatever they had been fighting for… it was about to begin.

"FINAL XROS!"

A swirl of energy rippled around him and the boy watched as rainbow light engulfed the screen, a familiar feral roar accompanying it. Power flowed over his fingertips and from his body and within him burned a beautiful euphoria. _This is it… the end they wish for… the future… we want to grasp with our own power…_The words dashing through his head didn't have the capability to explain the majesty of the moment, he didn't think words could. The glow faded to reveal a golden and white mechanical warrior, what appeared to be a microphone clenched in one fist. But the fallen angel didn't give. He grew to match his opponent and reached to blast his enemy to oblivion.

It was useless wasn't it? They hadn't given up so the future was…. It was granting them power. "Final Xros Blade!"

Battles end when the last enemy falls. It ended with a single stab. "N-No way… so fast…" That was power, power in the purest sense that was so strong and free that boundaries for it would just never happen. "They did it…" he whispered, the words slowly sinking in. "We're going to live… we… we're going to live!" As he spoke, the sky turned blue and the petrification disappeared like it never existed. "Everyone… everyone is…"

_That's right… Now is the time… they have grabbed their future… now you must take yours._

Silently, he leaped toward the opening above his head, struggling to pull himself free. The boy managed to get out and watch the creatures rising into the air. "I… can't even thank them…" For some reason, that bothered him. The boy forced himself to run despite the sudden pain running through his muscles. He had to… had to say it… because if he said it now… they would understand… surely they would understand… because…

"_When this is over, join us okay?"_

He wasn't good at these things but they had saved him, if indirectly. He wanted… wanted…

"Excuse me!" The portal had closed, possibly forever. He was too late for them. But eyes fell upon him anyway, human eyes with expectations and confusion. They didn't understand, didn't recognize. That was okay. Neither did he. He looked down on them from where he stood on the sidewalk, face turning red with embarrassment and fear. His body shook and he licked his lips. "I… I…"

"What is it?" The taller blonde spoke, his voice sharp but not unkind. It made it worse, especially when the spiky brunette smiled, trying to take the sting. The red-haired girl knew him, he realized, remembering despite the moment, and that just made him shiver all the more. In desperate hope he bowed, hoping avoiding their eyes would make it easier.

"I… Thank you very much!"


	2. Chapter 1

**_Author's Note: _**Hi! It's finally posted! I apologize for the shortness of the chapter. I've rewritten this about three times and it was the most acceptable one. The next thing coming up is Daybreak. Thank you Great Hero and all those who faved and alerted! Have a Happy New Year!

…

_**Chapter 1: Heartfelt Words**_

_(But they're so hard to say…)_

"Thank… you…?"

The words echoed in their minds bizarrely as the boy shook before their eyes, arm still bleeding and general appearance disheveled and frightened. Nerves, decided thirteen-year-old Kudo Taiki. Nerves had this boy wound up tighter than a toy. The green eyes that had caught his attention were panicky yet full of a resolve that would make a lesser man tremble. He did not know how to use that resolve clearly but it existed. Taiki smiled again. Ah, it was more like he didn't know he had it. It was like Dracomon all over again. Well then, he would have to take a leaf from Shoutmon's book. Or was it the other way around?

"Y-Yes," the boy continued quietly, answering Yuu's unspoken query. He fidgeted. This was awkward. "I… you see I…" Butterflies fluttered in his stomach and he shook his head anxiously, trying for it, for that brief grasp of words he had. Taiki couldn't help but feel sympathetic. Complete strangers were bad enough for any normal person. For someone like that it must have been sheer hell. Finally, he got the words out. "I saw your battle and I… I thought it would only be right to-"

"You saw what now?" Kiriha's query was sharper than usual, the after-battle tension littering his words like scattered flyers. The male, silver hair carefully hiding his eyes from casual view; flinched at his tone and stepped away. Nene gave the blond a reproachful stare while Taiki held back his own chuckle. Kiriha did have a kind heart: it didn't make him any less of a barbed fence. The other boy clenched a fist, trying to steady what must have been heartbeats like drumrolls.

Slowly, the silver male drew up strength from what they all believed a nearly dry well. "I saw that battle… of those creatures… You… all of you… you saved us all so I… I just wanted to…" The strength vanished quickly and he quailed in front of the blue eyes, which were calm but still edged with impatience. Kiriha stepped forward and the boy bolted, headed in the opposite direction. The blonde motioned to move after him, but a shorter male beat him to the punch, Yuu chasing after him on exhausted legs. Beside him, Nene reached out.

"Wait Yuu!" He had to be exhausted, she thought, instantly hurrying to chase her brother. However Taiki blocked her path, shaking his head. She frowned at him, the expression almost like a glare on her normally placid face. "Taiki-kun…"

Taiki gently stepped back from her line of fire. "Let's give him a minute. It's not like Kiriha helped much." A pink flush graced the blonde's face before vanishing, replaced with a smirk of carefully fabricated amusement. Seeing Nene about to move, Taiki shifted again to grab her by the wrist. She really had a one-track mind… maybe the two of them got it from their parents? "Nene." The simple word made her hesitate, if only long enough for the redhead nearby to pull her away. "Trust him."

Meanwhile, Yuu was hurrying across the oddly empty streets, whole body still worn from the fight. _Why am I doing this? _He hadn't exactly been thinking when he rushed out like that. He hadn't been thinking much at all since… since he had been saved.

Come to think of it, it wasn't much of being saved. It was more like ice-cold water had been dumped on his head and he had been able to see. He had been able to see a couple of things. He was afraid of getting hurt, just like everybody else. It was something a normal person dealt with.

Like anybody was going to be normal after this. Whether they fought or they saw… normal sounded rather ridiculous.

"W-Wait a minute!" He could see the slightly taller male up ahead, running pretty much full tilt. Boy could adrenaline move a person. Yuu wasn't exactly in the best of health at the moment either. The boy actually did pause though, stopping by grabbing a pole. "H-Hold on…" Yuu coughed. Now that he was sound of mind, he really did _not _want to know what DarkKnightmon's machine had done to him to make him this worn out.

The other boy watched him, anxiously glancing toward Yuu himself and down the street. "What… what is it?" He seemed a little calmer… or possibly more embarrassed. Yuu couldn't quite tell.

"Sorry," Yuu replied abruptly, finally managing to gain a solid breath of air. "I... Kiriha-san's rather… hard to get along with… he wasn't trying to… freak you out." The other boy stared blankly before raising an eyebrow. His eyes flickered in disbelief and Yuu laughed. "I know; he _can _seem pretty frightening. He just needs to work on this… friendship thing a little longer."

"W-What about you?" Yuu paused, letting the other elaborate. "Why are you here?"

The blonde frowned, thinking pensively about it for a few moments. Then a sheepish smile rose to his lips. "I guess I'm here to work on this friendship thing a little more." He laughed. "Not all of us can be like Taiki-san after all." The other frowned, deep in thought. Then, with some hesitance, he smiled a little bit, scratching the pavement with his shoes. Yuu blinked. He wondered what the other was thinking now. He would have to work on this a bit more; realizing what others were feeling.

"I shouldn't have run off should I?" The other scratched his head nervously. "Sorry… I'm not… used to… groups." He shifted onto the back of his right foot, suddenly scratching at a noticeable scab forming on his arm.

"I know the feeling," Yuu admitted with a small chuckle. His legs having stopped wobbling, he cautiously took a step toward him. "Neh, want to be friends?" The other blinked and Yuu shrugged. "We don't exactly have much to lose." He bowed, a bit stiffly as he still felt like passing out. "I'm Amano Yuu. Nice to meet you(1)." It was a bit formal, sure, but a distant start was a start.

Slowly, the other bowed back. "Mogami Ryouma. Nice to meet you too."

For a moment, they both stood awkwardly, not sure what to say. Then the sound of calm, measured footsteps caused them both to jump. "Easy, it's just us." The three Generals were walking together, Kiriha keeping a firm hand on Nene's shoulder to keep her from tackling her brother in her sisterly henning. Taiki waved at them both, smiling as casually as ever. "The others went home," he informed them with a grin. "They had a long run ahead of them."

Nene managed a nervous smile, watching her brother sway like a poorly-dressed leaf. "We should go too. I think," She shot Kiriha a pointed glare. "We've frightened enough people recently." The other flushed and glared and Taiki laughed quietly. With a bow of her head, Nene calmly and firmly grasped her younger brother's wrist and dragged him away. Kiriha nodded briskly before following the pair.

Taiki watched Ryouma's confusion rise and grinned. "He's a gentleman… when he wants to be. Can you make it home all right?" He received a reluctant bob of the head and grinned. "Need a companion?"

Ryouma hesitated before nodding slowly. "If… If it isn't too much trouble…" The sun was already pretty low.

Taiki smiled. "Not a bit." It would be a quiet walk, but after all of this… Taiki knew quiet was what he wanted quite a lot.

…

"I'm home!"

Taiki looked around slowly, smelling dinner being made. It was too quiet for them, much too quiet. Well, she was definitely home then. The one thing his mother always remembered to do was turn the stove off. "Okaa-san?" he called, fingers reflexively curling around the Xros Loader. Had a Digimon somehow slipped in and attacked her? Well… not that he could really do much about that except bargain… but thankfully they had a lot of sharp and pointy objects in the kitchen that he could flying tackle toward.

"Sorry I'm late," he called, tentatively poking his head into the room. Taiki knew she really didn't mind. According to her she was normally out until dawn from the age of fifteen to… well some indescribable time. It was rude to ask a woman her age. Instead of meeting angry Digimon, he found himself enveloped in a warm, trembling hug. Reflexively he froze, every part of him screaming fight-or-flight. Then he smiled. "… Hi mom." It was okay now, he realized. Taiki relaxed gently, easing the tension out of his shoulders and loosening his grip on his Xros Loader until he could return it to his pocket.

She was silent for a while, simply holding her son while the spoon dripped broth onto the floor. "…We… We won." He was a normal kid now, not a leader or a warrior. Summer was almost over and now… now he wouldn't have to fight. However, now that he thought about it, that wasn't a good excuse for coming home late twice in a row. Well, so much for anime laws huh?

However, his mother smiled over his chocolate-brown, spiky head and laughed softly. "I know." Her eyes glittered with the tiniest hint of mischief. She did enjoy knowing what others didn't.

"Eh?" Taiki stepped back to face her, their grey eyes flickering to each other in reflex, in respect.

"I saw it," the woman replied airily, pulling away to of course, go back to the stove. Cooking, it was his mother's third love. "I saw the Digimon flying away. How was it?" Taiki smothered laughter. Only she could make the most abnormal seem natural. "How's Shoutmon?" The fact that she believed him was minor, but that she said Shoutmon's name… well, simply it turned his veins into a frigid ice. It was casual as always, yet somehow… in those moments… that casualness hurt. His throat almost swelled, the walls practically crashing into each other as Taiki struggled for words.

_He's alive,_ were the first words on his lips, the immediate response he reflexively swallowed. _He's king. He's fighting to help everyone with my dream. _None of these would define Shoutmon. None of these could encompass the boisterous partner that had followed him and he had chased after for what felt like years. None of these could say what he had become, could explain the pride he had for his friend. No thoughts in his mind could convey the magnitude of everything that had happened to them all and how much he treasured those moments.

So Taiki looked at her and replied. "I don't regret doing it."

His mother hummed, going to chop up some cilantro. "Nor would your father." She added the nearby meat to the pan, listening to the oil hiss and crackle at its intrusion. "You should go wash up; this shouldn't take long."

"Mm!" He was happy to obey someone else's orders, even if it was just for something as trivial as this.

If he had to, Taiki would willingly listen to anyone else if it meant that both worlds were all right.

…

"Standing vigil?"

Midnight had walked up to him casually and then left, leaving him out on the balcony with the stars and his discordant thoughts. He didn't even remember half of what had run through his mind in truth. Kiriha glanced back at Nene and the tea mug in her hand, watching the steam, so much like smoke from dragon fire, rise over and blur her face. Silently he took the drink, blowing on it with practiced care. Before he sipped, he replied. "Old habits don't die easily."

"They don't die," the young woman commented solemnly. "They simply hide." He snorted at her and drank. He never really minded heat, not even in Dragon Land. All it made him think of was fire, powerful fire with love and loyalty in each little molecule. So, as the liquid traveled down his throat and into his system, warmth rushed his limbs, bringing back gooseflesh and reminding him that yes, wind could be very cold. "You shouldn't get rid of them Kiriha-kun," informed the young woman. "We need Taiki-kun's faith… and your paranoia."

"The fight is over," he informed her flatly, trying to force himself to believe, to accept. It couldn't be so sudden, could it? All the dead were back, the enemy vanquished. Over and over they could say it to themselves. Over and over, the words would flow and live in their minds, weak from their inability to accept. The battle couldn't be _over_, just like none of them could simply go back.

Nene didn't have to look at his eyes to know what he was actually thinking. "But what's next?" she asked softly. "We can't drift apart…" Kiriha, only mere weeks ago, would have scoffed at her. Now however, he shook his head rather helplessly. The Digimon had pulled them together… along with these accursed… Xros Loaders. It almost seemed to buzz at the thought, unable to let him go. The Digital World had pulled the six of them and forced them to depend on each other. It just… it was impossible for that to be broken so easily, if at all.

"Do you want to?" he finally inquired, looking her up and down over the framing locks of his hair. She raised an eyebrow at him, causing Blue Flare's General to snort. She giggled at the noise. "What?"

"Laugh more," Nene replied swiftly. "It's good for you." He glowered, causing her to laugh more. She smiled rather lopsidedly at him, allowing herself to recline away from the sky onto the railing. He returned this with a small bit of relief, allowing the tension of the day to ease from his shoulders and a sigh to leave his lips.

They stood in this silent comfort for a while, as they used to in Dragon Land, before the young man asked quietly. "How's Yuu?" Nene looked at him slowly, purple gaze rather disconcerted and solemn. She jerked her head toward one of the many large couches that made up the extravagant apartment her parents had bought whimsically for their marriage. She never would understand that. On that sofa, Yuu was curled loosely around a pillow, sound asleep. He hoped it was peaceful for the kid; they all needed that peace, even if it was just for a few hours.

Nene's gaze attracted his again and she sighed. "He's not okay."

"No," Kiriha agreed. He shook his head loosely, feeling the cold again. "But we can help him. Taiki will help him." It was the quiet decisiveness in his own tone that caused him to grin sheepishly despite himself. "He won't be able to stop himself."

Nene giggled. "No, he can't do that." Her eyes sparkled rather lightly now and the two of them, silent companions once more, eventually went inside together, talking softly of the pleasant minor things they had abandoned for survival.

Because now was their time.

…

_It was quiet now._

_It was quiet and dark like a winter evening. Then a voice. It was a soft, genderless voice. It was rather like a child._

"_Daddy," it whispered. "Where are you?" The child formed, a completely colorless creature floating in a dark sea. "Daddy? It's dark…"_

_In the child's arm floated an egg, a large, pulsing egg._

"_Daddy," the child called. "I'm scared."_

…

**Author's Note:**

(1) "Nice to meet you." This is a translation of what's said, the more commonly known. It could also be translated as: "I am in your care" or "Please take care of me."


End file.
